Mining the Bitter Melon (Momordica charantia L.) Seed Transcriptome by 454 Analysis of Non-Normalized and Normalized cDNA Populations for Conjugated Fatty Acid Metabolism-Related Genes

Seeds of Momordica charantia (bitter melon) produce high levels of eleostearic acid, an unusual conjugated fatty acid with industrial value. Deep sequencing using 454 technology was conducted with non-normalized and normalized cDNA libraries prepared from bitter melon seeds at 18 DAP to uncover key genes required for biotechnological transfer of conjugated fatty acid production to existing oilseed crops. This analysis resulted in the identification of transcripts for the vast majority of known genes involved in fatty acid and triacylglycerol biosynthesis. In addition to providing tools for biotechnological improvement of oilseeds, it is expected that these sequences will contribute to a basic understanding of the metabolism of other high-value novel fatty acids.